Sunday, June 04, 2006

From San Joaquin (Cal) News Service, June 3.Local officials are proposing to terminate the only remaining public methadone program in the County because it's contributing to the budget deficit. Patients would be transferred to one of several private programs in the area.QUESTION: why/how can private programs not only operate on a break-even basis, but presumably make a profit for their owners - while government programs have to be closed because they add to the county's deficit?

8 Comments:

It is such a crime to look for profit in this situation in the first place.But more impotantly, the good it is doing may outweigh the money in all due reality. How much would you pay to keep the addict under semi- control as opposed to the crime that goes along with true addiction which I am an expert on? This is the true question!!

Which other form of medicine do we expect Doctors and office owners to not make a living helping people? Surely, you must realize, that even ONCHOLOGISTS have to make a living off helping people with CANCER get well--why not with addiction? Are we such a desperate group of people that only people who are willing to help us for "free" are the people who should be allowed to help us?

Since when is making a living helping people a bad thing in America?

Dr.Newmans comment was merely to ask--if private clinics can make a living than county/non-profits should be able to find a way to keep programs running without a deficit.